Renowned South Korean dancer and choreographer J.BLACK recently lauded the dance prowess of AIJING (盛艾敬) and XILI (梁淅瀝), members of the new girl group A2O LITE. He revealed the duo mastered a highly complex choreography in less than 20 hours of actual training, an astonishing efficiency that earned his profound admiration. J.BLACK admitted that when he first received the choreography request, he questioned if the difficulty was too high. However, the two members ultimately showcased skills that far exceeded his expectations, leading him to praise their outstanding talent.
On October 26, J.BLACK and his wife, dancer MMary, appeared on host Lee Ji-hye's (이시혜) YouTube channel. They shared the behind-the-scenes process of creating A2O LITE's choreography and discussed the members' impressive dance abilities.
Lee Ji-hye mentioned J.BLACK's recent attention for choreographing for A2O LITE and congratulated him. J.BLACK admitted he was surprised by the sudden increase in attention and had been receiving numerous choreography-related offers recently.
Discussing the choreography creation process, J.BLACK revealed that sometimes it only takes 10 to 15 minutes to complete the initial concept. He typically translates the images in his mind into physical movements before gradually refining the details. However, the real time-consuming work lies in the subsequent stages, including breaking down movements, organizing them into rhythmic instructions, and adapting them to suit the style of an idol group.
Even more surprisingly, the agency not only didn't request a reduction in dance difficulty but actually asked him to make the choreography even harder. J.BLACK stated that in the past, when choreographing for idol groups, agencies usually wanted to lower the difficulty of movements. This time, however, was the first he was asked to 'make it even harder,' pushing the difficulty almost to his personal limit.
He also admitted that he was quite worried at the time, repeatedly thinking to himself, "Is this really possible? Can it really be choreographed like this?" Furthermore, he hadn't even met the members in person when creating the choreography, which made him even more anxious. Unexpectedly, AIJING and XILI's final performance completely exceeded his expectations. J.BLACK revealed that AIJING's actual training time for this dance was likely less than 20 hours. Although he didn't calculate it precisely, he confirmed the time was very limited.
He explained that the two had extremely tight schedules even before their debut. Additionally, coordinating schedules with three dance instructors meant it was not easy for all five individuals to find a common practice time. Due to the urgent debut timeline, they could only meet and practice whenever possible.
Upon hearing that a highly difficult choreography could be mastered to a satisfactory level in less than 20 hours, Lee Ji-hye exclaimed in surprise, believing such an achievement required exceptional talent. J.BLACK agreed, stating that AIJING and XILI are both very gifted individuals. Not only do they have natural abilities, but they also started dancing at a young age, accumulating extensive experience.
Beyond sharing the dance skills of A2O LITE members, J.BLACK also discussed his views on children aspiring to become idols. He believes that when assessing the dance potential of young children, the most important factor is not how perfectly they perform movements at that moment, but rather whether they possess unique charm and expressiveness. He emphasized that dance technique can improve with continuous practice, but innate stage presence is an equally crucial condition that should not be overlooked.
J.BLACK gained recognition for his unique performance style and choreography skills. In recent years, he has continued to be involved in dance-related activities with his wife, MMary. His participation in A2O LITE's choreography has once again brought him into the spotlight. The ability of AIJING and XILI to master complex dances in a short period has earned them direct validation from the choreographer himself.
